EVENTS

Not Cool, California

California, I am very disappointed in you. You’ve been moved to the list of “Very Uncool States.” Yeah, I’m grouping you with the likes of Alabama and Arkansas now. How does that feel?

Sigh. At least they’re letting all the marriages performed before Prop 8 remian. I can’t imagine how horrible it would be to tell someone “Nope, your marriage doesn’t count any more.” Probably only a little worse than “Nope, you’re love doesn’t count enough to get married.”

Comments

Frankly, I think the government shouldn’t be in the marriage business in the first place. The government should just have civil unions for all, and let anyone get them regardless of relative gender, sexual orientation, religion, or love.

Frankly, I think the government shouldn’t be in the marriage business in the first place. The government should just have civil unions for all, and let anyone get them regardless of relative gender, sexual orientation, religion, or love.

Had the California Supreme Court overturned that voter initiative, it would have set an absolutely terrible precedent. As dumb as the voter initiative may have been, the CA Supreme Court made the right call here. State courts should not be able to overturn voter initiatives to amend state constitutions.

Had the California Supreme Court overturned that voter initiative, it would have set an absolutely terrible precedent. As dumb as the voter initiative may have been, the CA Supreme Court made the right call here. State courts should not be able to overturn voter initiatives to amend state constitutions.

BorgHunter has it exactly right. This wasn’t a call on whether gay marriage itself is moral or should be legal or whatever.Unfortunately, the whole amendment process in California is flawed. I think they’ll overturn it in 2010 (or 2012). The problem is that California really is liberal, but not enough of them bother to vote. So the high turnout of unsophisticated, uneducated religious people overrepresents anti-gay marriage people as a group.

BorgHunter has it exactly right. This wasn’t a call on whether gay marriage itself is moral or should be legal or whatever.

Unfortunately, the whole amendment process in California is flawed. I think they’ll overturn it in 2010 (or 2012). The problem is that California really is liberal, but not enough of them bother to vote. So the high turnout of unsophisticated, uneducated religious people overrepresents anti-gay marriage people as a group.

I come from Iowa. Let me assure you that, while Iowans have a superficial attachment to conservative cultural symbols, Iowans are, in practice, surprisingly liberal. Iowa was, after all, the home state of one Henry Wallace. Common sense for common folks, and all that jazz–they just want their politicians to be very sober and even more boring. For example, as liberal as Mr. Wallace was, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a picture of him in which he wasn’t dressed in an extremely conservative suit.

I come from Iowa. Let me assure you that, while Iowans have a superficial attachment to conservative cultural symbols, Iowans are, in practice, surprisingly liberal. Iowa was, after all, the home state of one Henry Wallace. Common sense for common folks, and all that jazz–they just want their politicians to be very sober and even more boring. For example, as liberal as Mr. Wallace was, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a picture of him in which he wasn’t dressed in an extremely conservative suit.

The initiative should be repealed, but in the legislature and at the ballot box, not in the courts.That said, the amendment process in California is waaaayy to easy: you shouldn’t be able to change a state constitution on a simple majority vote. If California used a process more like other states use (Iowa, for instance), Prop 8 never would have passed in the first place.

The initiative should be repealed, but in the legislature and at the ballot box, not in the courts.

That said, the amendment process in California is waaaayy to easy: you shouldn’t be able to change a state constitution on a simple majority vote. If California used a process more like other states use (Iowa, for instance), Prop 8 never would have passed in the first place.